How to Be a Conscious Eater

content provider to Instagram, the Food Network, Yelp, and

the like), we actually haven’t matched that enthusiasm by

making more of our food at home. Compared with even just

a few years ago and certainly with many years ago, we dine

out more, order delivery more, and generally outsource more

of our meal making to the food and food-service industries.

Overwork edges out time that might have been spent on other

elements of living, including preparing and enjoying food. The

trouble with planning meals for the week is that for many of us, it never

pans out. You end up working late, getting hangry, and stop-

ping at Chipotle on your way home before you nose-dive into

bed, or any of a dozen scenarios you’re probably familiar

with. The best intentions give way to food waste when reality

meets aspiration in the grind of workweek cooking.

WINNER: Meal kit

ROUND 5: MEAL KIT VS. STOPPING IN THE GROCERY

STORE ON THE WAY HOME FROM WORK AND TRYING

TO REMEMBER INGREDIENTS FOR A MEAL EVERYONE

MIGHT EAT AND ENDING UP WITH PASTA AGAIN

Consider this the nutritional dark side of the above scenario.

It’s because of how many people lack either command of a

kitchen—the confidence to routinely whip up a nutritious,

responsible, tasty meal for their family—or the passion for

meal planning day after day. In this case, at least you’re likely

wasting less because you’re buying the ingredients the day of.

(They’re fresher and so probably taste better, too, for what it’s

worth.) But the quality of the meals becomes questionable when you

lack inspiration. Anecdotally, meal kit companies may be nudg-

ing people to shift toward healthier, more environmentally

friendly eating patterns over the long run. One HelloFresh user

told me that seeing the vegetarian-themed option appear in her

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